


Pull Back,Breathe in, and Release

by kimbob



Category: Avengers (Comics), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon, Arrows make Clint Hot, BAMF Darcy Lewis, Established Relationship, F/M, Falling In Love, Family, I'm what?, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss, Romance, hidden past
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-01
Updated: 2013-05-08
Packaged: 2017-11-15 10:11:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/526147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimbob/pseuds/kimbob
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s the words Clint always murmured in her ear as he stands beside her and tries to teach her how to shoot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Pull back, Breathe in, and release.”

It’s the words Clint always whispers in her ear as he stands beside her and tries to teach her how to shoot. He’s all muscle and heat as he slides up beside her, grabbing her angled arm to lift it a bit higher. “Perfect.” He said softly. 

Darcy breathed in deep and released the bow, watching as it hit mere inches from the center. “Dammit.” She muttered. 

Clint merely shakes his head. “It’s fine Darce. Try another.” 

Darcy nodded and moved to nock another arrow. “Okay.” She went through the motions and released the arrow, grinning wide when it hit the bullseye. “I’m awesome.” She announced as she turned to face Clint who was smiling at her. 

“You are.” Clint agreed with a nod. Clint took the bow from her hands and pulled her close. “Come here.” 

Darcy sighed heavily as his strong awesome arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. His lips were on hers in seconds and she sighed against his mouth, wasting no time in opening up so his skilled tongue could slide in. ‘Fuck.’ She thought, but moaned out loud. He was awesome at kissing. The training room was quiet and empty which was normal what with it being two in the morning. This would be strange for anyone else who weren’t Clint and Darcy. 

This was foreplay for them. 

There was something about watching her shoot a bow and arrow that made Clint hot under the collar. Of course Darcy had no real interest in learning to shoot, but she was always willing to play into one of Clint’s kinky kinks. The payout was always worth it. Darcy pulled away from his lips with a loud smack, glancing at him through lowered lids. “By the way you’re holding onto me, I don’t think we’re making it back upstairs.” 

Clint’s hands tightened on her waist and he lifted her without a word. 

Darcy let out a small squeak and wrapped legs around his waist, leaning down to suck at his neck as he made quick strides to the nearest wall. Her back hit the wall with a tiny thump and she moaned as he pushed up against her. Darcy pulled Clint’s mouth back against her own, nipping and sucking at his lips, enjoying the low groan that rumbled from his chest. Clint turned, once again walking the short distance toward a training mat. He lowered her onto the mat and pulled away, lifting his shirt up and over his head. He leaned forward and helped Darcy out of her shirt, tossing it beside his own. 

His eyes immediately strayed to her breasts and Darcy knew this was his weakness. She arched her back, pushing her awesome tits up in a way that made them seem even larger. She grinned as his eyes glazed over. 

“Jesus Darcy.” Clint mumbled, his hands eagerly lifting to squeeze her wonderful breasts. Just as he reached his goal an alarm sounded. 

‘SECURITY BREACH. LOCKDOWN PROTOCOL BEGINNING IN ONE MINUTE.’

Darcy froze and Clint tensed above her. She glanced at him, noting he’d had changed into Hawkeye in the blink of an eye. “Clint?” She reached for his hand. 

Clint helped her sit up; grabbing both of their shirts, he helped her slip back into her own. “Come on.” He said roughly. He pulled her up and they made their way toward the exit. 

Darcy swallowed as she tried not to let her heart beat out of her chest. The loud warning alarm was doing nothing to calm her nerves. The hallway suddenly darkened and she tightened her hold on his hand. The emergency lights flickered on. 

‘EMERGENCY LOCKDOWN ACTIVATED.’ 

Darcy tried to remember the briefings she had on lockdown protocol, but she had been too busy not paying attention. Jane was right, her rebellious nature was going to cost her one day.

Clint moved down the hall with purpose, pausing to hit a red button. The hallway filled with smoke and he pulled Darcy closer as a small security team approached them, their guns at the ready. 

“Sir. Ms. Lewis. Are you alright?”

“We’re fine.” Clint answered. “Surround the perimeter.” 

“Yes Sir.” 

“I love when you go commando on me.” Darcy commented as he practically dragged her down the hall. Part of her hoped her snark would lighten the mood, but she was unsurprised when he ignored her. 

“I need to get to my bow.” He said gruffly. 

“Clint, what-“ She was trailed off as the sound of an explosion sounded. 

“Darcy!” Clint screamed as she was suddenly pushed into the air. 

She didn’t even have time to scream as her body slammed into the far wall with a loud thud. White hot pain shot up her arm and she knew it had to be broken. Her head smacked against the ground as she fell, her vision swam. Darcy’s ears were ringing; something warm was running down her head and into her eyes, she blinked slowly as she realized it was her own blood. Where was Clint? Was her last thoughts before darkness overtook her.  
88

Thor held Jane as she cried quietly into his shoulder. Pepper’s head was resting in Tony’s lap as she finally gave into sleep. Bruce sat in the corner as he played with a stress ball. Steve stared worriedly into his hands. Natasha’s eyes followed Clint as he paced the expanse of the waiting room. 

Natasha knew the moment Clint introduced Darcy to her that he was a goner. The hopeful out of character expression he wore, silently asking for her approval. Natasha approved the moment Darcy opened her mouth. Darcy was perfect for Clint. There was a hard edge to her that not too many women had and that hard edge enabled Darcy to handle someone like Clint Barton. 

“Clint,” She said very softly. “You have to sit down.” 

Clint was beside her the moment she finished speaking. He folded his hands in front of himself, wearing the same expression he wore after he’d tried to ask her how many agents he had killed. 

Natasha sat still as began to speak quietly.

“I begged her to come to the training room with me.” Clint shook his head. “We could’ve just stayed upstairs; if I’d just kept a tighter hold on her hand. If-“ 

“Stop it.” Natasha hissed. “Darcy would surely smack you in the back of the head for blaming yourself.”

Clint smiled despite the situation. 

Natasha sighed heavily. “Darcy is not fragile.” She said quietly, although inside she was worried for her friend. “She is strong. She’ll fight through this.”

Clint ran a hand down the side of his face as he slowly nodded. They both looked up as the doctor made his way into the waiting room. 

Everyone stood up as the doctor began to speak. 

“Ms. Lewis is out of surgery. We were able to repair the internal bleeding. She suffered two broken ribs, and a severe concussion. She’s critical, but stable.” 

Clint swallowed hard. “Can I see her?”

The doctor nodded. “She’s heavily sedated, but you can see her.” 

Clint was off before the doctor finished his sentence. He paused in the doorway and stared at the small figure on the bed. He swallowed the lump he felt forming in his throat as he took in the machines and tubes that surrounded her. She had her arm in a splint and as Clint walked further into the room, he noticed the bruises and the pale face. He pulled the chair next to the window closer toward her bed and sat down. 

He reached for her uninjured hand and gently squeezed. “Darcy.” He whispered, feeling real fear. “Please wake up baby.” The world could start to end right at this moment; Clint knew he wasn’t moving until Darcy opened her eyes. 

888

Darcy was awake five days later. 

She blinked against the brightness of her surroundings, realizing she wasn’t in her bed. 

‘Okay.’ She thought to herself as she struggled to gather her slow thoughts. She was in medical, she realized, noticing the shield issued medical gown she wore. She tried not to panic as she tried to remember what happened before she ended up here. She was with Clint and suddenly she’d felt the rush of being pushed into the air. 

Clint. Someone was holding her hand and she looked down, her eyes sliding up the hand owner’s wrist to the familiar muscled arm. Darcy sighed. “Arm porn.” She murmured. 

Clint lifted his head and leaned in close, his eyes worried. “Darcy?” He said softly. “Baby?” 

“Clint.” Darcy said softly. “What happened?” 

Clint’s brow furrowed as he explained. “We were infiltrated. There was an explosion and you were-“ He trailed off. “Are you in pain?” He asked worriedly. “Do you want me to call the doctor?” 

Darcy shook her head gently. “Don’t go.” She said softly. “I don’t feel a thing.” She knew she still had to be heavily drugged. “How long was I out for?” 

“Five days. Twelve hours. Eighteen minutes.” 

Darcy raised her hand to caress the side of his face, silently noting the five days’ worth of stubble growth on his face. “You counted.” 

Clint nodded and kissed her hand. “Of course I did.” His eyes turned sad. “Darcy I’m--”

“If you apologize I’m going to smack you.” She cut in, knowing full well it was physically impossible. “It’s not your fault. Besides, I’m more pissed off that our awesome sexy time was interrupted.” 

Clint snorted out a laugh and her smile widened. 

“I made you smile.” She teased. 

Clint nodded. “First real smile in five days.” He played with her fingers as he continued. “Tasha said you’d threaten me if I blamed myself.” 

“She’s a smart woman.” Darcy could feel herself growing tired just from talking so much. Her eyes began to flutter close. “Clint-“ 

“Just rest.” He cut in softly. 

88

The next time she wakes up, Natasha is sitting in the chair Clint had been sitting. She was knitting a perfect scarf and Darcy mentally patted herself on the shoulder for teaching the assassin something she could do with her hands other than killing. 

“Clint went to take a shower.” Natasha said softly. 

Darcy nodded. “How bad was he?” 

Natasha looked up from her needles, her expression serious. “He wouldn’t leave your side. Not even to eat. I had to shove a sandwich down his throat.” 

Darcy tried to laugh, but winced from the sudden pull in her rib area. “ow.” She whispered. 

Natasha moved closer, her face concerned. “Easy.” She said softly. 

“What’s the damage?” She asked. 

Natasha went back to knitting as she answered. “You had internal bleeding, two broken ribs, a broken arm and a concussion.” 

Darcy blinked. “Wow.” 

“Tough as nails you are.” Natasha answered with a wry smile. 

“Darcy!” Jane said in a rush. She had flowers and balloons in her hands. “You’re awake.” She looked down worriedly at the younger woman, tears springing to her eyes. 

Darcy shook her head. “Please don’t cry boss lady. I’m fine.” She watched as Jane placed the vase of flowers next to the other vases that littered the room. She noticed the giant teddy bear dressed as Iron Man for the first time. 

“The others will be down here soon.” Natasha said as she held up her scarf to inspect it in the light. 

Darcy just smiled and nodded, closing her eyes and feeling loved. 

888

One Week Later

“You are seriously not going to feed me that.” 

Clint paused, the spoon of Darcy’s favorite jell-o hovering near her mouth. “Your arm is in a sling.” He said for the fifth time that day.

Darcy fought the urge to roll her eyes as she silently opened her mouth and allowed Clint to spoon feed her the Jell-o. Yes, her arm was in a sling, but she could totally feed herself. Darcy wasn’t going to complain though. Clint wanted to take care of her and even though her feminist I am woman hear me roar side balked at the idea, she kind of liked the fact that he was taking care of her. Well, maybe loved was more like it. Clint is very good at taking care of her. He waited on her hand and foot, he gave awesome foot massages, and he was the best pillow fluffer this side of the east coast.

“This is good.” She commented.

Clint smiled as he spoon fed her some more. “I made it myself. I even put the chunks of pineapple in it.” 

Just as he said that, Darcy bit into the piece of pineapple, and let out a moan that would rival a porn star’s. “My hero.” She said with a smile.

Clint chuckled. “If only you said that more often.” 

Darcy snorted. “Well only if it gets me more jell-o.” 

Clint’s cell suddenly beeped and he frowned as he read the urgent message sent to him. “Dammit.”

“Duty calls.” Darcy said softly. 

Clint frowned. “I told Coulson I was taking time off.” 

Darcy gave him a wry smile. “Superheroes don’t take time off.” She could see the indecision in Clint’s expression and she sighed. “Clint, the world can’t wait. I’ll be fine.” 

Clint nodded his expression unsure. “I’ll be back as soon as we kill whatever’s trying to destroy the world.” He leaned over her, professionally fluffing her pillows. “Rest easy.” He said softly. He leaned over for a quick kiss and turned toward the door, glancing over his shoulder once. 

Darcy snuggled down into the ridiculously large pillows with a small sigh. One year and she couldn’t help but be a little shell shocked that she was in a relationship with an Avenger. Not that she was impressed by his superhero status or anything. No, she wasn’t impressed by that. They had met each other three weeks after the Thor debacle and she and Jane were moved to cold as hell Alaska for reasons she still couldn’t understand. Clint had been in charge of the security team put in place for them and Darcy couldn’t stand him.

Clint had been so annoyingly cool and aloof like nothing fazed him. Darcy had tried to ruffle his feathers, but she had failed. He never laughed at her jokes’ which was weird because everyone laughed at her jokes. Even worse, he wouldn’t tell her what they did with her I-pod which made her despise him all the more. That all changed the day he jumped in the frozen icy water for her migraine medication which she had dropped after trying to get a cool picture of the horizon on her cellphone. He had been underwater for a whole three minutes and she was horrified that he was going to freeze to death because of her. She felt nothing but stark relief as he emerged, bottle in hand. She had quickly grabbed his shivering form and helped him into her cabin, pulled off his cold wet clothes, pulled off her own clothes and wrapped her warmth around him before hypothermia set in. 

They had held each other for three hours and Darcy had murmured random things in his ear to keep him awake and alert. She couldn’t ignore the fact that his arms felt awesome around her. She also tried to ignore the fact that she hadn’t gotten laid in a pathetically long time.

It didn’t take long for sexiness to ensue quickly thereafter.

Darcy slowly smiled to herself as she thought back their first night together. Darcy could admit it was purely carnal in the beginning, but the more time she spent in Clint’s presence, the more she got to know him; Darcy could fully admit she was irrevocably in love with Clint Barton. 

The only problem was, they haven’t actually said the words to each other. But still, things were great considering she was almost blown up. That was Darcy, always looking on the bright side. She closed her eyes, suddenly feeling spent, her last thoughts on how long it’ll take Clint to get back home. 

88

_She’s running through the jungle, her heart pounding, adrenaline rushing through her veins. Branches slapped her in the face left and right as she picked up speed._

_“This is Agent 19!” She yelled into her com unit. “I’ve been compromised. Handler, please respond!” There was no answer and she growled in frustration. She knew they were gaining on her and she couldn’t swallow down the fear she felt at what would happen to her if they caught her. She continued running. “keep calm.” She murmured. “Remember your training.”_

88

Clint watched worriedly as Darcy whimpered in her sleep. He reached out and gently shook her awake. “Darce, wake up.” He said softly. He pushed a piece of hair away from her face, pausing in surprise when she suddenly grabbed his wrist in a tight grip with her good hand. Clint frowned. “Darcy?” He said softly when she slowly sat up, still gripping his wrist. Clint slowly sat up, moving his hand to rest over her own. She was kind of hurting him. “Darcy?” He repeated softly. “Baby?” She was looking at him as if he didn’t know him. 

Darcy’s brow furrowed in confusion as she slowly blinked. Her eyes cleared. “Clint?” She said as she loosened her grip. “What’s-“

“You were having a nightmare.” He said cautiously. He caressed the side of her face. “Want to talk about it?” 

Darcy shook her head. “No.” She answered shakily. She lied back down, letting Clint gently pull her close. 

Clint tried to ignore the way she was trembling. “You have quite the grip Darce. Nearly broke my wrist.” 

“Ha.” Darcy said. “Maybe it’s my super strength acting up.” She glanced at him. “Let’s try and get some sleep.” She said softly and Clint easily complied. Darcy stared up at the ceiling, trying to shake the dream and silently wondering why she didn’t feel like herself all of a sudden.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Two weeks later

Darcy was finally given the all clear by the doctor, and she was all too happy to return to working in the lab with Jane and her merry band of lab minion scientists. She sometimes joked around and called herself a glorified pop-tart retriever, but that was not even remotely true. Well yeah she still made sure the lab was well stocked in pop-tart treatville, but ever since Jane decided to take the offered funding from Shield, Darcy’s job as lab assistant had changed drastically. One change being she was now an expert in stopping said minion scientists from running away in fear whenever Jane was turned into a downgraded version of the Hulk whenever they made a boo boo and messed with one of her formulas. 

Like now for instance. 

“I can’t believe that you would do something so idiotic!” Jane paced the expanse of her lab, dry erase marker in one hand and coffee cup in the other. 

Darcy glanced behind herself at the cowering minion. “Why don’t you escape through that door there and I’ll handle boss lady here.” 

The young scientist nodded as he cautiously slipped out of the door. 

Darcy turned back to her crazy boss who was currently muttering to herself and she sighed. She reached for a red dry erase marker and walked toward the board. She stared at the biophysics formula Jane had written on the board, noticing where the lab minion had messed up. “Let’s see here.” She muttered before reaching up and fixing what was wrong, adding in a few equations here and there. 

If it was at all possible, Jane’s frown deepened even more. “Darcy,” She said as she stopped pacing and made her way toward the white board. “What are you-“She trailed off as she stared up at the board, her eyes widening slowly. She looked at Darcy then back at the board. “Darcy-how-how did you do that?”

Darcy looked at the equations, a confused expression on her face. “I don’t know.” 

“You don’t know?” Jane spluttered. “Darcy, you just fixed an extremely advanced astrophysics equation that I struggled with for days. I mean not to toot my own horn or anything, but I’m a genius!” 

Darcy nodded with a small smile. “You totally just tooted your own horn.” 

“Darcy!” Jane huffed, looking annoyed. 

Darcy shrugged again. “I watched a lot of Star Trek episodes while I was on leave.” She bit her lip as she continued. “I may have also read some fan fiction.” 

Jane rolled her eyes and turned to move toward the computers. “I have to run the astrometrics on these equations immediately. This is amazing!” 

Darcy watched as she flounced off toward the computer lab before glancing back at the board again. She frowned in confusion as she looked at the equation again and could totally understand what it meant which was pretty weird considering her degree was in Political Science. “Huh.” She said softly. 

88

“Oh my god!” Darcy groaned as Clint massaged the instep of her foot with his knuckles. She felt a strange tingling in her insides. “What was that?” She asked breathlessly. 

Clint smiled softy. “Your kidneys.” He answered. 

She smiled as she placed her left foot in his hands. “Do my spleen again.” 

“Yes master.” Clint said, doing as she requested. “How was work?” 

Darcy bit her lip as she felt the delicious tingling again. “hmm?” She asked blinking up at him. “Oh, work was good. Apparently I’m a secret genius.” 

Clint gave her an amused smile. “Oh yeah?” 

Darcy nodded. “Apparently I know astrophysics, thanks to Star Trek.” 

Now Clint looked confused. He gently began to squeeze her toes. “You are a weird woman you know that?” 

Darcy grinned at him knowing he liked her weirdness the most. She suddenly sat up, swinging her legs around the straddle his waist. “You know what else is weird?” She kissed his jaw. 

Clint’s hands moved and wrapped themselves around her waist. “What’s that?” 

Darcy kissed his nose. “We haven’t been naked with each other for weeks.” She felt him tense in her arms. She pulled away to look him in the eyes. “Clint?” 

Clint fingered the splint she still wore. “Your arm-“ 

Darcy kissed that special spot below his ear. “My arm is fine Clint.” She kissed it again and smiled at his gasp. 

“Cheater.” Clint said softly, his hesitation breaking the more she kissed his special spot and wriggling enticingly against him. “This is not fair Darcy.” His hands tightened on her waist in an attempt to stop her wriggling. 

Darcy laughed as she nipped his ear. “What’s fairness when it comes to seeing me naked?” She moved and nipped at his chin. “We can play hero saves the citizen again.” 

Clint shuddered. “That’s my favorite game.” He tightened his hold on her waist. “Wait, I have to ask you something first.” He kissed her once before pulling her back. He pushed her hair over his shoulder. 

“Uh oh.” Darcy said sitting up. “You’re giving me that Clint Barton serious face special.” 

Clint took a deep breath and Darcy placed her hand on his cheek. 

“You look scared.” She said and it was saying a lot considering Clint rarely showed fear if ever. 

“Tony finished renovating Stark Towers.” Clint started. “And he’s added on Avengers towers. So I was wondering if you wanted to move in with me.” He finished. 

Darcy blinked down at him. 

Clint cleared his throat nervously. “I mean I know you have your own place, but you’ve spent the night here practically every day even before your accident and-“ He was cut off by Darcy’s hand over his mouth. 

“You sound like me Mr. Babble. Yes, I’ll move in with you.” She smiled her most winning smile. Most of her clothes and other important stuff were over his place now anyway. 

Clint smiled so wide his eyes crinkled in the cutest way. He kissed her once, before pulling her in for a hug. 

“Ow.” Darcy complained. She grabbed her forehead. It was like a thousand needles of fire suddenly jabbed themselves inside of her head. “Ow.” She repeated, squeezing her eyes closed tighter. 

Clint grabbed her shoulders, his expression fearful. “Darcy?” He asked. “You’re having another headache?” 

She whimpered. “My head. It feels like it’s going to explode.” She gasped as the pain sharpened even more. “Clint!” 

“I’ll get your pills.” He said, gently pulling her off of him. 

888

Darcy curled up on the bed as Clint rubbed gentle circles in her back. She hadn’t had a headache that bad in a long time. She glanced up at Clint, unsurprised to see the worried expression he wore since she’d lied in bed. “I’m okay.” She said softly. She accepted the cold wash cloth he placed over her forehead. “Really.” She said when he clearly didn’t believe her. 

“How bad was that car accident you had Darce?” 

She sighed heavily. “Pretty bad from what the doctors told me.” She hated even thinking about that time in her life. It was the reason she gets these migraines. She’d woken up with no memory of herself. She had to relearn everything. “I don’t like talking about it.” 

Clint sighed as he sat up. “You also don’t like talking about these nightmares you keep having.” 

She rolled her eyes. “No. I don’t.” 

“Of course not.” Clint said. “I mean you only have them every night Darcy why should it be important?” 

Darcy glared at him. “What do you want to know Clint? That these nightmares are so scary and realistic that I wake up scared to death and not feeling like myself?” 

“Yeah Darcy, that’s exactly what I wanted to know.” He squeezed her hand. “I don’t want you to get upset.” 

Darcy let him pull her closer. “I don’t want to argue with you.” 

Clint snorted. “You love arguing with me.” 

Darcy squeezed his hand. “Well, not about this.” 

They didn’t talk again for the rest of the night, just simply held each other, both of them deep in their own thoughts. 

888

_“Get down!” Agent 19 shouted, pointing her gun at the man in front of her. Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind. She was blinded, wrenching her arm away wildly as she was swung across the room and into the wall. Her back hit the wall with a loud crack. She shook off the oncoming dizziness and reached for her gun again. She aimed for center mass and fire two shots into each man coming toward her._

_Agent 19 could hear the footfalls of her fellow S.H.E.I.L.D agents; hear the hysterical wail of sirens as orders were suddenly frantically shouted. She lied back against the floor and closed her eyes._

88

Darcy’s eyes opened as the remnants of the dream lingered heavily on her mind. She slipped from underneath Clint’s arms and made her way into the bathroom, flicking on the light switch as she made her way toward the mirror.

Darcy realized she was having one of those dramatic moments; the moment where you stared at yourself in the mirror and had no idea who was staring back at you. 

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

One month later

Darcy kept the fact that she hasn’t been feeling quite like herself a secret. She continued to assist Jane in the lab, joking and laughing at all of the appropriate times while also continuing to provide regular doses of sarcasm and sass whenever she could. She was good at pretending. Great even. On the outside she appeared to be Darcy Lewis, lab assistant extraordinaire. It was easy to hide. Everyone seemed to think she was fine. 

Well, almost everyone. 

She had moved in with Clint a week ago and he was always watching her like she was going to shatter into a million pieces at any moment. This was a little dramatic to Darcy because she was tougher than that. Never mind that her nightmares still persisted and each night she woke up feeling less and less like her old self. Clint kept his mouth closed, instead opting to be a silent support, holding her whenever she’d been awaken by a particular nasty nightmare. She knew he wanted to say something. She knew he wanted to talk about it; figure out what’s going on and solve the problem. Clint had the patience of a saint, and Darcy knew he would wait until she was ready to tackle the problem. 

The only issue was, Darcy was unsure on whether or not she even wanted to. 

88

Clint let out a sharp gasp as Natasha’s boot connected with the center of his chest. He fell back onto the mat panting. 

The Russian assassin stood over him with a deep frown. “I’ve killed you four times in a row now. You’re distracted.”

Clint ignored her and swept his leg out, easily taking her down. He moved to pin her, but she was quicker, wrapping her legs around his neck and squeezing. 

“Fuck.” He hissed, tapping her thighs so she could let him go. She released him and he coughed. “I hate it when you do that Nat.” 

Natasha kneeled beside him. “What’s the matter?” 

Clint was stubbornly quiet for a whole three minutes, but one glance at Natasha had him speaking before his brain could stop his mouth from moving. “It’s Darcy.”

Natasha nodded for him to continue. She listened carefully as he told her about Darcy’s constant daily nightmares and uncharacteristic behavior. “And this happened after her accident?” Natasha asked. 

Clint nodded. “Yes. She said she’s fine, but I know she isn’t. I can tell she’s pretending Nat.  
I’m trying to be patient, but I don’t know how long I can hold out for.” 

“Do you want me to talk to her?” She asked. 

Clint knew it was a lot for Natasha to offer to help with his relationship. “Please? I don’t know what else to do.”

 

88 

Natasha didn’t understand romantic relationships. It was a foreign concept to her. It was messy. It was confusing. Being that close to someone was something Natasha wasn’t too keen on. It was one of the reasons she and Clint didn’t work out. 

Clint and Darcy though. They were perfect for each other and Natasha wasn’t going to let anything destroy a good relationship. So this is how Natasha found herself at the shooting range, helping Darcy through her standard issue weapon certification. 

“Are you sure you don’t have anything more important to do than run through this with me?” Darcy asked as she placed her protective goggles on. It was protocol that every exempt S.H.E.I.L.D employee had to have their standard issue weapon’s training even if they weren’t ever going to ever handle a weapon. 

Natasha shrugged. “We haven’t hung out in a long while.” She said softly. “I figured we could have some girl talk.” 

Darcy raised an eyebrow. “Girl talk?” She repeated with amusement. Those two words never went into the same sentence with Natasha. “Okay.” 

Natasha nodded and placed her own safety goggles on. “This may take you a couple of times to get it right.” She explained as she handed Darcy a pair of safety headphones. 

Darcy nodded as she placed the headphones on. She picked up the gun and pushed the clip in. She aimed at the target in front of her. 

Natasha nodded her head. “Whenever you’re ready.” 

Darcy nodded once and pulled the trigger. There was a kick, but she showed easy control and comfort with the weapon she held. She fired twice and then four more times. She aimed at the other two targets and shot at them five times each. 

Natasha blinked in surprise as Darcy placed the gun down in front of her. “Uh-“ 

Darcy smiled. “That was kind of fun.” Her smile dimmed a bit at the expression on Natasha’s face. “Did I suck?” 

Natasha shook her head as she pressed the button to retrieve all of the targets Darcy shot. She plucked one from the clip and held it out for inspection; two in the head and four center-mass. It was a target hit. Usually someone without experience with a weapon would have just fired randomly, no real aiming with any real sense of how to kill their “mark”. But Darcy’s shooting looked professional; as if Natasha herself had done it. It was flawless. It was art. “You passed.” She said and Darcy grinned and whopped. She slowly smiled. “Let’s get lunch to celebrate.” 

88

“I don’t get it,” Darcy said. “I mean he’s the world’s greatest marksman, but he can’t put the toilet seat down.” Darcy said as she explained the perils of sharing a bathroom with Clint. 

Natasha smiled. “I have the same problem with him when we go out on ops. It doesn’t matter how many times I threaten his life, he still does it.” 

Darcy snorted with a shake of her head as she took a sip of her water. 

Natasha tilted her head as she watched Darcy play with her salad. “You okay?” 

Darcy looked up, startled out of her thoughts. “Yeah.” She said. “I’m fine. Why?” 

“You seem distracted.” Natasha said. “You seem like you have a lot on your mind.”  
Darcy’s hand tightened on her fork as she took a bite of her salad. “I think I’m just trying to adjust to thing you know? Moving in with my boyfriend is a huge step-” She trailed off as she glanced at the woman she considered one of her best friends. Natasha was staring at her with one of those piercing gazes that made grown men tremble with fear. She sighed to herself. “This is more than girl talk isn’t it?” 

Natasha nodded. “Pretty much.” She said. “What’s going on Darce?” 

Darcy sighed heavily, and in that sigh she felt like she was releasing every pent up emotion she had been holding back for the past few weeks. “I don’t know.” She answered quietly. It was the truth. She didn’t know what was going on in her head. “It’s just-do you ever get the feeling that something big is happening? I mean, to your life and you have absolutely no control over it?” 

Natasha nodded silently. She was an expert in life changing events. 

Darcy sat back in her seat. “I have no idea who I am anymore. Every time I wake up I feel like a piece of me is missing, but I can’t explain what piece. Does that make any sense?” 

The Russian nodded. “Yes.” She answered simply. She knew all too well what Darcy meant. “You should talk to Clint.” She suggested. 

Darcy snorted. “How am I supposed to tell him this?” 

“How can you not?” Natasha asked her and Darcy knew what she had to do.

8888

Darcy returned home later that night, opting to instead work late at the lab, much to Jane’s surprise. She had in fact been staling on having the “talk” with Clint. She had no idea how he would react to what she was going to say to him. Not that she knew what it was she was going to say to him. It was close to eight thirty and five text messages from Clint when she decided to pack it up and head to the tower. 

“Clint?” She called as she tossed her keys on the table. She kicked her shoes off and stumbled her way into the living room. She spotted him sitting on the sofa, freshly showered, and watching the History Channel on mute. “Hey.” She greeted. 

He glanced over at her, and smiled his eyes soft. “Hey,” he said. “I tried to make pasta, but I burned it. So I ordered pizza instead. “

Darcy nodded as she slid next to him on the couch. “What did we say about you cooking?” 

“Don’t try it without supervision.” He said seriously. 

“Try to remember that next time.” She leaned over for a kiss, sighing softly when his soft lips touched her own. 

“Long day at the lab?” He asked when she pulled away.

“Sort of.” She said. “I had to get some paperwork done my broken arm had prevented me from doing. I also hung out with Tasha today.” She saw something flash in his eyes, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. 

“Yeah?” He asked and she nodded. 

Darcy played with his fingers. “She thought I should talk to you about- you know.” 

Clint sat up as she said those words. “She did?” He asked and Darcy gave him a look. 

“I know you asked her to speak to me.” Darcy said and Clint’s shoulders dropped. 

“I did.” He admitted quietly. “I just- I was worried. Please don’t get upset.” 

Darcy shook her head. “I’m not upset about that. She gave me the stare down and suggested I talk to you.” 

“The death stare?” Clint asked. 

Darcy nodded solemnly. “These nightmares I’ve been having,” she started hesitantly. “They’re pretty bad.” This was kind of an understatement, considering the cold terror she felt every time she woke up from one. 

Clint nodded silently, grabbing her hands in his own for support. “What happens in them?”

Darcy shook her head. “I don’t want to—“ She trailed off when Clint began to nod. 

“It’s okay.” He said reassuringly. 

Darcy nodded as she continued to speak. “I feel like I’ve lost control somehow.” She frowned and shook her head. “I- wake up each day and feel like I’m losing a part of myself. Pieces—it sounds crazy, but sometimes I look in the mirror and I have no clue who that is staring back at me.” Darcy looked away from him, unwilling to see the expression she suspected he would be wearing. “I don’t know what to do….I’ve probably freaked you out now huh?” 

Clint rubbed her arms as he shook his head. “No.” He answered. “No-hey, look at me?” He asked. 

Darcy did as requested; sliding her eyes to meet Clint’s worried ones. “I’m not freaked out.” He said softly. His hand moved up to caress her cheek. “I’m glad you’re sharing this with me.” He kissed her forehead and when he pulled away, there were tears in her eyes. Clint felt his heart constrict and he used his thumbs to wipe them away. “I love you Darcy. I’m in love with you. Have been since that first time you laughed at my stupid joke.” 

She laughed through her tears. “You make terrible jokes.” 

Clint nodded and kissed her hand. “I do don’t I?” He smiled as her tears stopped flowing. “We’ll figure this out together.” 

Darcy could feel relief begin to take over her panicked thoughts. “Okay. I love you too by the way.” 

Clint grinned and pulled her in for a deep kiss, wrapping his arms around her as she slid her tongue into his mouth. The kiss quickly turned hungry, Clint groaning at the feel of Darcy’s flush warm mouth against his own. 

“Bedroom.” Darcy whispered and he tightened his arms around her waist. He easily stood up and Darcy wrapped her legs around him. He stumbled his way into their bedroom. 

88

Hours later, Darcy stretched happily beside Clint as the sweat cooled on both of their bodies. She kissed his cheek as he wrapped both arms around her. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Were you there for my love speech earlier?” 

Darcy grinned. “I’d like a parade; maybe with some of that World’s Greatest Marksman charisma.” 

Clint groaned and rolled her over onto her back. He brought her arms up above her head. “I regret showing you those circus posters.” He leaned down to kiss her neck. 

Darcy titled her head back with a sigh. “Well I don’t.” She said softly. She kissed him again. “We’ll be okay?” She asked softly. 

He nodded. “I think we’ll be okay.” Clint had no idea how wrong he was. 

88

Agent 19 stumbled a bit by the loud bangs that emanated from the rapid explosions happening behind her as she ran for her life through the jungle of Costa Rica. She pressed the beacon located behind her ear, hoping against hope that S.H.I.E.L.D will track her location. Something tackled her and suddenly, 19 found herself flat on her back, sucking in deep breaths of air that seemed to lack the oxygen she needed to breathe with eyes watering as her head throbbed and her vision swam. 

Clint sighed as he felt the familiar pressure of Darcy sliding on top of him. Blindly, he gripped her waist in his hands, his eyes snapping open as he felt something cold pressed against his forehead. His muscles tensed ready for action as he stared down the barrel of a gun. It was his gun to be exact. A S.H.I.E.L.D issued 9mm semi-automatic handgun, safety off. It was loaded; he always kept it loaded inside their bedside drawer. He slowly lowered his hands to his side and tried to relax as he spoke slowly. “Darcy?” He felt her tense and watched as she tightened her hold on the gun. Her arm was steady; her aim sure. It was her expression that made Clint realize that this was not his Darcy; her eyes, were cold and empty. No trace of the happy loving expression he was familiar with. “Darcy?” He repeated more firmly. Her only response was the click of the gun. Clint didn’t react to that, not wanting to make the situation worse. He changed tactics and slowly raised his hand toward Darcy’s face, caressing her cheek softly. “Darcy?” He repeated softly. “Wake up baby.” She blinked and Clint saw a flash of the familiar in her eyes. “Darcy?” He could see her arm drop a centimeter and his other hand slowly reached up to wrap around her fingers which still held the gun tightly. “Darcy?” He repeated. She blinked again, this time much faster than before. Clint could see the moment she came back to herself. 

Darcy’s slowly lowered her arm, her eyes sliding to the gun, frowning in confusion. She glanced down at Clint who was watching her with worried eyes. “Clint?” 

Clint gently pulled the gun from her grasp and sat up, wrapping his arms around her trembling form, he pulled her close. 

“What happened?” Darcy asked as her voice trembled. 

“It’s okay.” Clint said softly. “It’s okay.” 

TBC


End file.
